A Campaign. A Challenge. An Opportunity.

When I arrived at in Spring Green in January, APT was already in the silent phase of the Next Great Stage Campaign to rebuild the Up the Hill Theatre.

Having spent several years working on a feasibility study, a structural assessment, and thorough research on what needed to be done, how soon, and at what cost, we rolled out the plans to the public in early summer. (If you haven't seen it yet, check out this great video about the endeavor: APT's Next Great Stage).

Starting my first season here was daunting enough, and in truth, the addition of a major fundraising campaign made it even more intimidating. I've never worked on such a project before in my career. But David Frank, Aleta Barmore and the APT staff and board had laid the groundwork, made the case and assembled the strategy.

I never would have guessed how instrumental this project would become to my APT education. And how rewarding and thrilling such an effort can be.

High-speed and in-depth introduction into our facilities. Thanks to this project, I have accompanied many tours of our Up the Hill Theatre, lobby and backstage. I explored the space in the winter, hiking around the theater in the company of contractors, acousticians, theater consultants, architects and engineers. I've wandered through the backstage this summer, with board members, donors, patrons, community members and elected officials. This experience has helped me truly understand the urgent need for the project, all the while developing my vocabulary to include APT-specific terms like Mount Titus, the veranda, shower/dishwasher (yes, our dishwasher currently shares the men's shower) and others.

Immediate introductions to our stake holders. Communicating the details of this project to our audience and supporters has been one of the pleasures of the last few months. I have had the privilege to meet many, many patrons who have donated, or plan to donate, to the effort. I have had the opportunity to engage in conversations about the project with new audiences, with guests at our Sunday Salons and with area business leaders. What a great way to get to know our friends and neighbors!

Tapping into the passion of our audience members in unexpected ways.This theater is yours, and your sense of ownership when faced with a renovation is inspiring. Comments and suggestions, pleas to keep some things the same or to immediately change others, insightful questions and meaningful observations, I've heard many and look forward to more. Your deep care for APT is more than I ever imagined.

And for those of you with particular passion for our theater Up the Hill, here is an opportunity. The Malcolm Stack Foundation has offered us a challenge. If we can add 50 names to our donor wall (pledges of $5,000 and above), the Stack Foundation will contribute $100,000 to the Next Great Stage Campaign. But we need to do it by the close of the Up the Hill season. Which is October 4. Just days away. Can you help us meet that challenge? Pledges may be paid over five years, making a $5,000 pledge a $1,000/year commitment. Please consider joining us in preserving, and improving, what makes APT so special.